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Tuesday, May 31, 2011

God approved abortion

"Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death."--James 1:15. James comparing the process of sin to that of the birth of a child. Sin is what is born but it is lust that conceives. But if we do something about it immediately, this is God approved abortion.

**Before I begin, this devo is another one that is loosely based on another sermon I heard originally delivered by my friend and brother in Christ, Lyle Sinkey.**

God approved abortion. Sin begins with a temptation. A temptation is a result of our lust for something that may otherwise be sinful if we follow through with it. We must abort the fetus of sin at this stage. This is God approved abortion.

God approved abortion. Lust gives birth to sin. At this point, sin is essentially just a baby. Maybe this is the stage where we will dabble in a particular sin. After all doing this once or twice couldn't hurt, right? WRONG! At this stage it is an absolute must to get rid of the sin. This is God approved abortion.

God approved abortion. After sin has grown up and become an "adult," it is at this stage that the sin becomes harder to get rid of. By this point, you may be de-sensitized to the effects this sin is having on your life and most importantly the impact it is having on your relationship with God. It is not necesssarily too late at this point but it is much more difficult to get rid of the sin but it must be done. This is God approved abortion.

God approved abortion. We know that abortion is the destruction of a human life. Abortion in it's truest sense is something no Christian should EVER condone. But the destruction of sin is also the abortion of life. It is the destruction of the evil life sin creates within us. This is something that every Christian SHOULD seek destroy by the grace of God and His Son Jesus Christ. This is God approved abortion.

God approved abortion. Sin's final form is death. If we fail to take care of sin during it's "life," God will destroy it along with our souls bringing the same death brought about in the garden in Genesis 3. This too is God approved abortion.

God approved abortion. Make an effort now to get rid of that sin in your life. Do this by removing that which causes you to sin. This is God approved abortion.

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!

Out of Egypt: Tragedy: Part 1

"And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die..."--Exodus 11:5.  God telling Moses what will happen during the 10th and final plague before Pharaoh finally agrees to let Israel go out of Egypt.  At this point, livestock has been killed. Agriculture has been destroyed and the land of Egypt has been destroyed by various elements of nature brought on by God.  However, what has been spared on a broad level is human life.  That will soon change.  The tenth and final plague would be the death of every firstborn in Egypt from Pharaoh's family all the way down to the "firstborn of the slave girl" (v. 5) to the "firstborn of the cattle..." (v. 5).  The tenth plague would be death like Egypt had never seen before. The tenth plague would be tragedy.

Tragedy.  This will be a two part devo. One dealing with the death of the firstborn and then what God commanded in order to prevent the death of the firstborn.

Tragedy.  This is probably the most familiar of the ten plagues to people.  Some people have often wondered why just the firstborn.  But my purpose is not to explain why just the firstborn.

Tragedy.  We see here in Exodus 11-12 described all the events surrounding the tenth plague. I ask myself sometimes why is it that it took all this pain and heartache for Pharaoh to finally decide to let Israel go?

Tragedy.  But then I realize is this sometimes not the case in our own lives? Sometimes we are just like Pharaoh and we are stubborn when it comes to doing God's will and it is not until something drastic happens that we finally submit to His will. Unfortunately, just like here in Exodus, sometimes it is the death of a loved one that causes one to turn back to God.

Tragedy.  What is it about death that makes such an impact on our lives? There could be hundreds of explanations here.  But I think it is the fact that it makes us realize that no matter how much we do, how much we consume and how much we try to avoid it, death comes to every man and this life comes to an end.

Tragedy.  Pharaoh suffered a great loss and that is what caused him to submit to God's orders.  You look at these ten plagues and one could realize Pharaoh could have avoided losing his own son nine times before had he just submitted.

Tragedy.  Today's devo is not intended to thoroughly explore the tenth plague but it is simply intended to remind us that we can't let some kind of major tragedy strike our lives before we decide to submit to God's will.

Tragedy.  Submit to God's will now.  Let the ten plagues be a sober reminder that sometimes we have the opportunity to submit to God's will before something really drastic happens in our lives.

It's hard for me to end this devo on a negative note but part 2 will bring this to a more conclusive close tomorrow morning and Lord willing end on a more positive note. :-)

No practical application except to study through the ten plagues found in the opening chapters of Exodus.

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!

Monday, May 30, 2011

The mirror...


"For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was."--James 1:23-24.  James, comparing one who hears the word and does not do it to one forgetting what he looks like after looking in the mirror. 

The mirror.  When is the last time you looked in the mirror? This morning maybe as you were getting ready to start your day? Maybe tonight you will look in a mirror as you are getting ready for bed? A mirror provides a perfect reflection of what we look like.  Said reflection can also remind us of what we need to improve about our appearance before we go out into the world.

The mirror.  So again I ask when is the last time you looked in the mirror? This may seem redundant for me to ask twice but seriously, when was the last time you looked in the mirror? I don't mean a physical mirror like the one pictured above. I mean the mirror of God's Word.  I don't think any true Christian can deny that when we look in God's Word, it almost never fails, we find something else we need to improve about ourselves and our walk with God.  Among other things, God's Word is a mirror, it is the mirror that we all need to look into.

The mirror.  Again I ask when is the last time you looked in the mirror? Following that up, what did you see last time you looked in the mirror?  Was what you saw a reflection of who you are? Or was what you saw an image of what you should be but your not?

The mirror.  I ask all these questions because the mirror helps us see what we need to fix or change about ourselves and what we need to do to be in a right relationship with the Lord and also with our brethren in Christ.  It is tragic that in today's world, there are those whose lack of self esteem prevents them from seeing anything good about themselves when they look into a physical mirror.  Even more tragically we have those that are so discouraged that every time they look into God's mirror, His Word, and feel they can never quite measure up to God's standards and forget all about His grace for when we do fall short. '

The mirror.  So my encouragement to you is this.  Take some time to write down areas in your walk with Christ and look into the mirror of God's Word and find out what you need to do to improve in those areas so that next time you look into the mirror, it is not a reflection of what you should be but a reflection of who you are.  

The mirror.  Finally, when you look into the mirror, do you see a saved soul or an unsaved soul? If you see an unsaved soul, click the "Are You Sure of Your Eternal Salvation?" link to learn more about what we must do to be saved or shoot me an email at davidmalleyg@gmail.com for more information on the subject.

Either way, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!

Out of Egypt: Frogs...


"Moses said to Pharaoh, 'The honor is yours to tell me: when shall I entreat for you and your servants and  your people, that the frogs be destroyed from you and your houses, that they may be left only in the Nile?' Then he said 'Tomorrow...'"--Exodus 8:9-10.  Moses' conversation with Pharaoh during the second plague of Egypt in an effort to convince Pharaoh to let Israel go.  The second plague was frogs.  Frogs all over the land. 

**Credit where credit is due: This devo is loosely based on a sermon I heard a few months ago by my friend and brother in Christ, Brett Petrillo titled "One More Night with the Frogs."  I have chosen the theme of this devo to be simply "Frogs."**

Frogs.  Frogs all over the land were the second plague in Egypt.  According to the sermon I just mentioned, in Egypt frogs were considered to be sacred.  You could not eat or so much kill a frog.  So think about it.  You have frogs in your house and even in your bed.  Frogs everywhere you walk and there is not a thing you can do about it.  

Frogs.  Pharaoh also was having to deal with this massive amount of frogs in his palace. Based on this couple of verses, one has to ask why would Pharaoh wait an extra day to get rid of this problem of frogs???

Frogs. These frogs were a result of one man's sin.  These frogs were a result of stubbornness against letting Israel go.  

Frogs.  So what does this mean to us? These frogs were a product of sin.  Sin can create plagues in our lives. Everything from the misuse of finances to substances can plague us with problems from greed to alcoholism to various types of addictions.  

Frogs.  So if we recognize these "frogs" are a problem, why are we sometimes like Pharaoh and wait until 'Tomorrow' to get rid of these frogs???

Frogs.  The frogs were clearly a problem in Egypt.  You would not want to spend another day with such a massive problem as this. Pharaoh had the power to get rid of the frogs right then and there but chose to wait until 'tomorrow.'

Frogs.  Consider the 'frogs' in your own life.  Don't wait until tomorrow to get rid of those sins or those 'frogs.' You are not going to be able get "out of Egypt" if you wait until tomorrow to get rid of that 'frog' in your life. 

Frogs. The first step to getting rid of those 'frogs' is a decision.  We need to make the decision to get rid of the 'frogs' not tomorrow but NOW.  If you haven't done so already, the first step is being baptized into Christ.  If you have done this and you have allowed those 'frogs' to creep back into your life, it is not too late to turn back and get yourself back 'out of Egypt."  Don't wait until tomorrow as tomorrow just might be too late. 

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!   



Friday, May 27, 2011

Favoritism

"My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism."--James 2:1.  James, telling us not to show favoritism.  Failing to do this is failing to put our faith into practice by loving our neighbor as ourself.  Showing favoritism is failing to fulfill the royal law.

Favoritism.  Be a doer of the word, not just a hearer.  We all know to love God is to obey His commands and also to love others.  Therefore, we can't pick and choose what commands we follow based on personal preference. Christianity is all or nothing.   

Favoritism.  Be a doer of the word, not just a hearer.  Be the same person to everyone.  Don't treat one person any differently than you would treat another.

Favoritism.  Be a doer of the word, not just a hearer.  We can't look on the poor person with disdain and treat the person who is a little wealthier with more respect. The poor could probably teach the wealthy a thing or two of what it really means to follow Christ.

Favoritism.  God doesn't show favoritism.  Ask yourself did Christ pick and choose whom He associated with? The prime example of Jesus not showing favoritism is the fact that he associated with a Samaritan woman in John 4:7-43.  The Samaritans were considered the scum of the Jewish world because they were mixed with Gentile blood.

Favoritism.  Furthermore, did Christ restrict His saving message to Jews only? Of course not! Through primarily the apostle Paul, the gospel message went out to Gentiles.  Reader, that's you and me.

Favoritism.  Allow me for a moment to get on my soapbox.  If there is one thing I can't stand in the Lord's Church, its cliques.  I don't know how many times I have seen someone walk into a church building and no one even takes a moment to go talk to that person maybe because they are a little different or not quite up to par with that person's standards.  When are we going to start thinking about God's standards which are found in the pages of Scripture?  Rather than go talk to this person, these people flock to their own circle of friends.  This person that has walked into YOUR church building might be a lost soul.  This person might be a brother or sister in Christ that is new to your congregation.

Favoritism. Reader, if you are in Christ, remember someone took the time to share the gospel message with you and did not show favoritism.  If you are not in Christ, realize that it is in Christ only that we find spiritual blessings.  In order to respond to the gospel message, we must hear, believerepentconfess, and be baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. Don't hold this message back with anyone.

Favoritism.  So my encouragement to you is this.  Next Sunday when you show up to church services, make it a point to go up to someone you might not know and take time to get to know them.  Take someone out to lunch you might not be terribly acquainted with.

Favoritism.  Finally, don't just read this devo.  Don't just read the passage in James.  Go out and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!    

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Vapor


"Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.'"--James 4:14-15.  James building on his point in chapter 4 that what causes the fights and quarrels among us is what we want as opposed to what ultimately God wants.  There is the old joke/adage that says "If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans."  There is a reason for this, life as we know it, as stated here in James is just a vapor.  

Vapor.  Consider the image above. That photo was snapped at just the right moment.  Chances are when that photo was taken, the vapor you see disappeared just as quickly as the picture was snapped.  James tells us so is our lives. 

Vapor.  The year was 2006, I had just taken leadership of the College/Young Adult Ministry at my former congregation in Riverside, California.  Then life as I knew it vaporized.  

Vapor.  My dad had a seizure and this was the beginning of the series of health problems that would culminate in his death in December 2010.  Life as all of us knew it was vaporized. 

Vapor. Life can change in an instant.  This is why we must keep God's will in mind. Most recently, countless people believed the world was going to end this last May 21st. While they were obviously wrong for several reasons, the premise they were promoting had some validity. 

Vapor.  What I mean is that they were of the mindset that the end of the world was coming therefore we needed to be ready.  In their minds, life on earth would be vaporized. 

Vapor.  When we make plans, we must consider the possibility of change. We have to be flexible and have a backup plan if said change occurs.  We have our plans but God has His plans.  Fact is God knows best.  Fact is life is a vapor. We must consider God's will.

Vapor.  God's will is ultimately that everyone should go on to eternal life. However, that is dependent on us pursuing His will.  

Vapor.  Re-consider the image above.  Realize that life is a vapor and because it is we must pursue God's will for our lives. We must be ready and preparation begins by being baptized into Christ. Click the link to see what this means.  Have you done this? If not, what are you waiting for?  Life can change in an instant. Life can end in an instant. Life is a vapor.

Vapor.  So my encouragement to you is this, there are a couple of songs out there. One is called "Vapor" by Little Big Town and the other "If I Die Young" By the Band Perry. These songs speak to the shortness of life. Check them out.  But also, think of what is going on in the world today.  Floods and tornadoes in the south. The recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan.  Here we see vividly the fact that people's lives are changing in an instant.  Here we see vividly that life is indeed a vapor. 

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!    

  

Out of Egypt: Never too old...a small tribute to Warren Wilcox.


Warren Wilcox (1936-2008)
**Image courtesy of Uplift Winter 2008 edition**

"Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three, when they spoke to Pharaoh."--Exodus 7:7. This verse is pretty straight forward.  No deep theological truth found in this verse.  This verse is simply how old Moses and Aaron were when they went before Pharaoh to carry out God's command to bring the Israelites out of Egypt.  We know per 2 Timothy 3:16 that all Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness.  So what can we take from this verse in Exodus 7:7? Well one thing is for sure, we can gather from this verse that to do God's work, you are never too old.

Never too old.  While it is a known fact that in biblical times, people lived a lot longer than they do today but it was after the flood from Genesis 6, that lifespans were drastically cut short.  Deuteronomy 34:7 tells us Moses was 120 years old when he died but Deuteronomy 34:7 tells us that "his eye was not dim, nor his vigor abated."  

Never too old. What we have to realize about Moses is that even through all the ups and downs and the occasional mistakes, some of which we have looked at already, Moses kept on doing God's will until his dying day.

Never too old. As I was thinking about this, my train of thought led me to think of one of the greatest modern day examples of someone doing God's will until their dying day, and that is the man pictured above, Warren Wilcox.  For those that might not know who he was, he was an instructor here at the Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver for 41 of the 45 years the school has been around.

Never too old. Unfortunately, I never had the privilege of meeting Warren let alone sit in one of his classes for myself.  All I can say is what I have heard and read about this great man who even despite his health conditions, managed to make it to his classes to aid in the training of future gospel preachers such as himself.

Never too old.  He taught several classes but among them was Christian Evidences.  As it was stated in the Winter 2008 Edition of Uplift, the BVBID newsletter, while Warren taught Christian Evidences, Warren was "The Evidence of a Christian."  In this particular article, among the things stated about Warren was that Warren's Christianity was seen in: His love for God's Word, his love for the lost, his love for for worship, his giving nature, and his love for the church.  Also contained in this article were several memories of Warren including the amount of time he devoted to doing God's will and training future gospel preachers.

Never too old. What can we learn from Moses in Exodus 7:7? What can we learn from Warren Wilcox? As we read through the Pentateuch (first five books of the Bible), there is a lot we can learn from Moses. The more that I hear about Warren Wilcox, there is a lot we can all learn from Warren.  But one lesson is clear from both these men's lives, WE ARE NEVER TOO OLD TO DO GOD'S WILL!

No practical application here except to keep on keeping on in the Lord's work. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!

Monday, May 23, 2011

A small fire...

**Image of Great Chicago Fire courtesy of flickr.com**

"So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things.  See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!"--James 3:5.  James, speaking of the power of words illustrating why those who teach will incur a stricter judgment (James 3:1).  He explains what great damage can come from such a small part of our body, the tongue, considered to be a small fire. 

A small fire.  Consider the image above. A familiar scene to many people.  The Great Chicago Fire. Started with just a small flame.   

A small fire.  One common thread through most fires like this, in a city or a forest fire, is the fact that these giant fires that have consumed acres were started by just a small fire.  They have started by someone simply flicking a cigarette butt, sometimes a camp fire gone wrong or as in the case of the Great Chicago Fire, it started in a barn and burned an entire city. 

A small fire.  So are our words.  What we say can make or break a relationship.  What we say can build up or destroy a church.  What we say can impact someone's eternal destiny.  

A small fire.  It seems its what we say that can do the most good or the most harm.  I hate to admit that my words have on the one hand done good but at other times they have done harm.  Other people's words have done me good but at other times they have done me harm.  I do not believe anyone is exempt from either of these categories.  

A small fire.  Before you say something to someone we must first consider the person and our relationship with them.  Then we must consider how we are going to say something. Sometimes it's not what we say but how we say it. A lesson I am still learning.  

A small fire.  In closing, consider once again the image above.  My encouragement to you is this, next time you are going to say something to someone, ask yourself if what you have to say will start a fire or extinguish it and also consider the steps I gave in the previous paragraph.

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!  


Out of Egypt: Getting Pharaoh out of the way.


"Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, "O Lord, why have you brought harm to this people? Why did you send me? Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not delivered your people at all."--Exodus 5:22-23.  Moses' mission to bring the Israelites out of Egypt has begun.  His first encounter with Pharaoh is less than favorable. Not only does Pharaoh not let the Israelites go, he doubles their workload and naturally the Israelites blame Moses and Moses blames God. What Moses is experiencing is trouble getting Pharaoh out of the way. 

Getting Pharaoh out of the way.  For those of us who have experience in evangelism, I think we have all experienced this. We try to do what God would have us to do in bringing people "out of Egypt" and first time around we fail, not because of our own actions but because of the person's heart or maybe like in this case, something is standing in the way.  

Getting Pharaoh out of the way.  The only thing standing between Moses and bringing the Israelites coming out of Egypt was Pharaoh.  More often than not, when we study with people, we will not get results the first time around.   

Getting Pharaoh out of the way. This is what makes evangelism difficult.  Ideally, we would love to just preach the simple gospel message and the person convert right then and there but sometimes, we need to get Pharaoh out of the way.  This may involve dealing with a belief system they have or dealing with a certain sin they have trouble letting go of. 

Getting Pharaoh out of the way.  But this doesn't apply to the lost only. Sometimes we need to get Pharaoh out of the way in our own lives. 

Getting Pharaoh out of the way.  Pharaoh is what stands between us and God. In the Scriptures, Egypt is used to symbolize sin after the Exodus is over.  Pharaoh is the leader of Egypt. 

Getting Pharaoh out of the way. I want to close this devo with a question for reflection? Where are you right now in your walk with God? Are you on Mount Sinai, or in the case of those of us who are in Christ, more specifically, Mount Zion? Or are you still back in Egypt? If we allow ourselves to slip back into sin, we have slipped back into Egypt and we have become Pharaoh. As Christians, we like to identify with Moses and think of ourselves as responsible for bring others "out of Egypt." This is good but how often do we allow ourselves to become Pharaoh and become stubborn about getting rid of something that prevents us from coming fully to God?    

Getting Pharaoh out of the way. My encouragement to you is this, whether it's bringing others out of sin or getting yourself out of sin. Don't be discouraged if you fail the first time. Bringing others to Christ or yourself back to Christ will occasionally take more than one try.  Moses had to try to ten times before Pharaoh finally let Israel go and even then they were chased as we will see in a later devo. So as you go through this week, when dealing with sin, make it a point to remove the stumbling block and GET PHARAOH OUT OF THE WAY! 

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS! 
  

Friday, May 20, 2011

Brutal honesty...

"But he said, 'Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever you will.'"--Exodus 4:13.  This is the 4th and final excuse Moses offers.  Moses is out of excuses at this point. So he just breaks down and basically says he does not want to go to Egypt to bring Israel out of bondage.  This is of course coming off the excuse that Moses is not an adequate speaker for whatever reason.  God's reaction though? Exodus 4:14 says the anger of the Lord burned against Moses.  God eliminates Moses' excuse once and for all but not before Moses is brutally honest with God in the given passage.

Brutal honesty.  At this point Moses had made 3 excuses as to why he is not the man for the job, he first asks "Who am I?", then "What if they don't believe me?", then "I am of slow of speech and slow of tongue." But based on Exodus 3:13, we see the real reason Moses was giving these excuses.  He flat out did not want to do the job.

Brutal honesty.  Ever had this happen to you? You ask someone to do something and it seems they give you every excuse in the book as to why they can't do it.  And the underlying reason is simply because they never wanted to do what it is you have asked in the first place.

Brutal honesty.  Irritating isn't it when this happens? Maybe makes you even a little angry? Well we need to ask ourselves, doesn't it make God angry when we are presented with the opportunity to bring someone "out of Egypt" and we come up with every excuse we can simply because we do not want take the time or step out of our comfort zone to share the gospel message with someone.

Brutal honesty. Well God asked Moses to do something and God was not going to change His mind even if Moses did not want to do it. We may run into times where maybe we don't want to step out of our comfort zone to share the gospel with someone.  But we need to get past that attitude.

Brutal honesty.  So my encouragement to you is this.  Next time your faced with an opportunity to share the gospel with someone and you feel inclined to make an excuse as to why you don't take the opportunity, remember Exodus 4:14 and ask yourself if the Lord's anger is not burning against you for said excuses. But also remember Exodus 4:15-17 which I have not mentioned yet.  Here we find that in order to eliminate Moses' speech excuse, God would send Aaron, Moses' brother with Moses to be a mouthpiece for Moses. So do not just think of God's reaction but also realize that if perhaps you are not quite sure what to do when you share the gospel or study the Bible someone, take along one of your fellow brethren in Christ.  This can be a huge help.

Finally, if you have passed up opportunities in the past to bring someone "Out of Egypt", take some time to reflect on those times and be brutally honest with yourself and ask yourself why you passed those opportunities up and see how you can get past those excuses in the future.

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Defense...


"But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence."--1 Peter 3:15.  This verse immediately follows Peter's instructions to do good and consider ourselves blessed if we are harmed or persecuted for it.  We are told in 1 Peter 3:14 not to fear intimidation or be troubled if we are threatened with harm when we do good.  In contrast to fearing we are to sanctify or set apart Christ as Lord in our hearts.  How do we do this? By being ready to make a DEFENSE.

Defense.  We have all heard the chant at sporting events, "DEFENSE, DEFENSE!"  Of course what this means is that the fans want their team to defend their territory with all they got in order to prevent the victory of the other team. When I hear this phrase, my mind goes to football since that is my favorite sport and my favorite team the Green Bay Packers. Yes, I confess I am a Green Bay fan. :-)

Defense.  But back to my point.  The Greek word used in this passage is apologia from where we get apology and the field of apologetics.  The Concise Oxford English Dictionary defines apologetics as reasoned arguments in justification of a theory or doctrine.

Defense.  So what this means is we set apart Christ as Lord in our hearts by preparing to defend what it is we believe in.  This verse is that simple.  Be ready to make a defense "for the hope that is in you."

Defense. So are you ready? Looking at this verse in context, we see that there are going to be people who are going to try to intimidate us for doing what Christ would have us do but why? Well something we have to realize is that human nature has a tendency to attack that which it does not understand.  We know this is true because how often do we get into arguments with someone simply because we do not understand where they are coming from? And rather than seek to understand, we simply create an argument.  This is where gentleness and reverence comes in as mentioned in this passage.

Defense.  I know there have been countless times in my life where I have had to stand up for my belief in Christ in some form or fashion.  At times I have wound up in an argument with the person. Other times not. But what is this gentleness and reverence spoken of in 1 Peter 3:15.  Gentleness and reverence does NOT mean we simply let the person walk all over us.  Gentleness and reverence involves being respectful of the person and defending your position by dealing with the issues and not attacking the persons character or if they are of a different religion or belief, you most certainly DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT ATTACK THEIR BELIEFS! Remember apologia means DEFENSE NOT OFFENSE.

Defense.  So what does this mean to us? Well returning to my football illustration, there are certain things required for a good defense in football. Good defense involves being firm so the other team does not gain advantage.  Good defense involves anticipating the teams next move which involves preparation and understanding the other teams maneuvers.

Defense.  If we expect to convert people, first and foremost we need to make sure we have set apart Christ as Lord in our hearts. We do this by preparing to defend what we believe in when others ask and believe me they will ask either because they are interested or they want to mock us, either way we need to be ready because even with the tough ones, you may make a difference and convert them.

Defense. So since people will ask, my encouragement to you is this.  If we expect to convert people, we need to take time to get to know them.  Given the religious diversity that exists in our world today, almost everyone we meet has their own set of religious beliefs.  As you read this, think of someone you have in mind that you would like to share the gospel with. If this person is of a different religion such as Islam or maybe some other denomination, take some time to get familiar with their religious beliefs. This will allow you to understand that person better and know where they are coming from.  As in football, knowing where the other "team" is coming from will allow you to better prepare a defense for what it is you believe in. But I do remind you again DO NOT ATTACK WHAT THEY BELIEVE! Simply defend what you believe as that alone can go a long way if it is based on God's Word.  Let the Word do the judging, you just defend what it says and stick to the truth found in it's pages.

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS. Oh yeah and one more thing, DEFENSE! DEFENSE! :-) HAVE A GREAT NIGHT EVERYONE AND THANKS FOR READING!

   

Speak!


"Then Moses said to the Lord, 'Please Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since you have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue'."--Exodus 4:10.  This is excuse number 3 as to why Moses does not think he is the man for the job to bring the Israelites out of Egypt.  Moses says he is not an eloquent speaker.  Him being slow of tongue according to one commentary may mean that he had a speech defect, he was heavy of tongue, lost his fluency in the Egyptian language, or he simply felt inadequate as a speaker.  Whatever the case might be, Moses didn't think he could do it.  God's response.  In Exodus 4:11-12 we find quite simply that God will be Moses' mouth. But Moses still gives one more excuse that we will look at tomorrow. But God's point is to tell Moses go and SPEAK!

Speak.  Public speaking is known to be people's number one fear and death is actually #2! You think about this, what this means is that at a funeral, you would rather be in the casket than doing the eulogy. This is a joke :-).  But back to my point.  Consider the image above.  What if it was  you standing in front of that microphone getting ready to speak to that crowd of people in the background of the image.  Would you do it? How would this make you feel? Nervous? Uncomfortable?  

Speak.  Well this must have been the way Moses was feeling.  He would have to go in front of what was then the leader of the most powerful nation of the known world asking him to give up what ended up being the backbone of Egypt's economy, the nation of Israel that if you will remember moved into town when Joseph was second in command under Pharaoh during the famine.  

Speak.  Another factor contributing to Moses' apparent fear was most likely the fact that when he left Egypt, he had killed an Egyptian official for abusing a Hebrew slave. Talk about leaving on a bad note. We can't really blame Moses for being nervous.  

Speak.  The point is though, God tells Moses to go. What Moses fails to recognize is that God is greater than any fear or disability he might have. God is greater than the leader of the most powerful nation on earth and in reality it would not be Moses speaking anyway. It would be God speaking through Moses based on Exodus 4:12.  

Speak.  So what does this mean to us? Well again, consider the image above. What if you were the only Christian in that room and all the people in the background were all lost souls who needed to hear the gospel message? Their souls are in your hands. It is your responsibility to bring them "out of Egypt." This is what God has chosen us for. To SPEAK in order to bring others "out of Egypt!" 

Speak.  We may get nervous. Believe me I still do every time I get up to preach or even talk to people one on one about the gospel.  We may not even consider ourselves to be good speakers.  Whatever the case, our responsibility is still the same. Why? Because God is our mouth when we speak the words found in the pages of Scripture, His inspired word. We must study to make sure what we speak is accurate but it is GOD'S WORD, not ours when we share the gospel message. 

Speak. So my encouragement to you is this.  If you are among those who would rather not speak in public, remember that God is with you when you choose to deliver His word. I encourage you to seek an opportunity to share God's Word with a lost soul or with your brethren in Christ from the pulpit, whether it's a sermon or just a few words before the Lord's Supper. 

Speak.  Finally, remember the power is in God's Word, not ours. 

SPEAK! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!  

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

GOOD...

"Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. 'And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled'."-1 Peter 3:13-14  Peter, speaking first to wives, then husbands, then to all of us. Part of Godly living is simply being good to one another. 1 Peter 3 gives a GOOD description of what it means to be good while at the same time being godly.  The last part of this verse is a quote from Isaiah 8:12.  I find it interesting that verse 13 first implies that no one will harm us if we are doing good but then tells us to consider ourselves blessed if we do. To which I respond that this is all simply GOOD.

GOOD.  While doing good in itself is part of godly living, I think we all know that even those who are not in Christ are capable of doing good. But as Christians, it is especially crucial for us to do good.  Seems pretty obvious doesn't it? Be a Christian, do good.

GOOD.  Doing good as a Christian is not as obvious as it might seem. The Bible is littered with evidence that this is what we need to do yet this is an area where we sometimes fail.

GOOD. Right before writing this I spoke to my best friend and brother in Christ and he gave me some insight to a situation I am dealing with.  He reminded me not to react as the world reacts despite the difficulty of the situation given the other person involved is a family member in Christ.

GOOD.  So what does this mean? Well in the context of 1 Peter 3, we see some examples of what it means to do good. In 1 Peter 3:8 we find that we ought to be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit. Easy enough right? When people are doing to us, of course it's easy.

GOOD. What I just mentioned is easy when others are good to us but notice 1 Peter 3:9, in doing this we are not to return evil for evil or insult for insult but giving a blessing instead. This is easy too right?

GOOD. Of course it's not easy to react with good when we are being insulted.  What makes it especially difficult is when said insults come from our own brethren.

GOOD.  Doing good sometimes means taking what people might say to you with a grain of salt and doing good to them even when they might not be treating you right.  However, there are times when we also must take a stand.

GOOD. So my encouragement to you tonight is this, next time someone says something to you that doesn't exactly set right with you, step back and ask yourself if the battle is worth it and then try to offer a blessing or do good to that person rather than returning evil for evil or insult for insult. This could go a long way in your relationship with that person.

DO GOOD! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!  

Moses said...

"Then Moses said, 'What if they will not believe me or listen to what I have to say? For they may say, the Lord has not appeared to you.'"--Exodus 4:1  This is excuse number 2 for Moses as to why he doesn't think he is the one that should go before Pharaoh to free Israel.  The first of course was who am I? First, he does not think he is qualified and now he fears rejection.  What I am noticing about the 4 different excuses Moses offers in Exodus 3:11, Exodus 4:1, Exodus 4:3, and Exodus 4:13 is that they all start with Moses said with the exception of 4:13 which says "he said" but still refers to Moses.

Moses said.  This is excuse #2 for Moses.  As I said, he fears rejection.

Moses said.  Now put yourself in Moses' position, what if this was you being written about? What if the passage read "(Your name) said..."?

Moses said.  I am sure we would all like to read this passage and ask 'Come on Moses, just listen to God!'.  Well again I ask, what if someone else was reading this and it was you they were talking about and everyone else was saying 'Come on (Your name), just listen to God!'

Moses said.  The point I am trying to make is that we look at the attitude of the Israelites, and as my friend and brother in Christ Brett Petrillo put it in a sermon once, we tend to think "Those ridiculous Israelites" because they turned from God despite everything God did for them.  In this case, we may think "that ridiculous Moses." But we fail to realize that we as Christians more often than not make the very same excuses Moses offers here in Exodus 3-4.  What if future generations read about where we failed and said "Those ridiculous Christians," see the point?

Moses said.  Moses fears rejection.  For most Christians, myself included, though I am getting better, this is the biggest hurdle to get over when it comes to personal evangelism, rejection.  What we have to remember is that when people reject the gospel message, it is not you they are rejecting, it's God and His Son Jesus Christ through whom we are saved they are rejecting.

Moses said.  This excuse is the second of four excuses. We may think "that ridiculous Moses" but we have to stop and realize that at some point in our Christian walk, we too have made the same excuse and we must make an effort to eliminate that and every other excuse.  We need to stop saying "What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say?" Our job is to do what Moses was being asked to do, bring people "out of Egypt" (sin) and into a relationship with Christ so we can all one day see our eternal Promised Land.

Moses said. Over the next two mornings, we will look at each of the other two excuses Moses offers. In the meantime, look at these "Moses said" passages again and do a little role play, rather than Moses said, read it as "(Your name) said" and ask yourself how would you get past that excuse in today's day and time. God gave Moses what He needed to do the job.  And with God's Word, we have everything we need to do the job of bringing people "out of Egypt."

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!  

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Precious: This one is for the ladies...

"...a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God."--1 Peter 3:4

"Your adornment must not be merely external--braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God."--1 Peter 3:3-4.  I was going to touch on a different part of 1 Peter tonight but as I was going to the passage I originally intended to touch on, I came across this one and I felt more inclined to write my devo and dedicate it to Christian women all across the Lord's Church. Guys, no worries there will be application for us in here too but bear with me. This passage says a gentle and quiet spirit is precious in the sight of God.

Precious.  In context, this passage is speaking specifically to wives but younger unmarried women are to learn from those that are married so this passage can be a lesson for the single ladies for when you girls do get married.

Precious.  I think it is really cool, for the lack of a better term, how the Scriptures define what a Christian woman should be and how she should take more pride in who she is rather than what she looks like.  It saddens me that many of our young Christian women have allowed culture to define who they should be and as a result, a lot of what they wear is less than modest. But I am not here to get on that soapbox.

Precious.  Ladies, especially wives take a look at this passage here in 1 Peter.  Notice that a gentle and quiet spirit is not only a precious quality but it is an imperishable quality. This quality is something that will never steer you wrong.

Precious.  But why is this so precious? Well when something is precious, that means it is of the highest value.  Sometimes it is something that is rarely found such as a precious jewel like the ones pictured above.

Precious.  A gentle and quiet spirit is something that is indeed rarely found in the Lord's Church. I can only think of a handful of Christian wives that have exemplified this.  Please don't misunderstand, this is not to put anyone down as none of us is perfect and this quality requires work to maintain even with those that I have in mind.

Precious.  Ladies, I encourage you to keep this passage in mind.  Your true beauty is found within.  Remember that a gentle and quiet spirit is an imperishable, never ending quality that all Christian women should strive to have.  You single ladies, I encourage you to seek out an older married Christian woman who exemplifies these qualities and look to her example.  If you are a teenage girl (yep this applies to you too :-) ), this woman might be your own mother. I pray that's the case.  If not, young girls seek that woman out who exemplifies this quality and again, look to her example.

Precious. Finally, guys, I told you there would be an application for us here as well.  So here it is as promised :-).  Fellas, if you are married, encourage this imperishable quality in your wife and remind her that while she is beautiful on the outside (trust me she will appreciate this), her true beauty also comes from within. For us single guys, these are the kind of women we need to keep our eyes open for.

Precious.  As for me, well having been single for so long has allowed me to look to the Scriptures to get a better idea of what I want in a wife when the time comes for me to get married. And this quality found in 1 Peter 3:3-4 is something I am looking for. And guys, single guys I mean, don't let her go if/when God brings her your way.

Sorry this went a little long but the principle found in this passage was something that is close to my heart.

THANKS FOR READING EVERYONE! DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!

Who are you?

"But Moses said to God, 'Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?"--Exodus 3:11.  This is the beginning of what should be a pretty familiar account to all of us. Moses' encounter with God at the burning bush.  At this point, Moses had risen to a position of authority in Egypt but after killing an Egyptian for mistreating a Hebrew man, Moses flees Egypt, marries and becomes a shepherd.  It is while he is out shepherding his father in law's flock that he sees the bush not getting burned up.  It is here that Moses would be commissioned to bring Israel out of Egyptian bondage and bring them back to the Promised Land.  But this is not first without a list of excuses as to why Moses does not think he is the one.  The first of which is "Who am I?" but I also want you to think about who are you?

Who are you?  As we will see in coming days Moses will have a list of excuses before he finally agrees to do what God has told him to do. My first thought is why is he arguing with God? But then I realize how often do we do the same thing?

Who are you? After Moses dishes out this excuse, God simply responds that He will be with Moses and tells him to return to the mountain where this encounter is taking place, Mount Sinai a.k.a Horeb.

So again I ask who are you? Who are we?  When you read through the account of the burning bush, you can realize that Moses was not much different than you and me in that initially there was a part of him that didn't think he could do the task of bringing God's people out of Egypt.

Who are you? Put yourself in Moses' position. What would you do if God asked you to go before the President of the United States or before Congress to maybe stop a legislation from coming through that was against His will.

Who are you? This excuse of "Who am I?" is too often used by the individual Christian as to why they won't do a particular task in the Lord's church whether it's to teach, preach, lead songs, or even go out and evangelize in the local community.

Who are you? Let's find some answers to this question.  First of all, to the world you may be nobody but to God your somebody.  You are somebody to whom He has given the ability to bring others back to Him through Christ.

Who are you? You are God's chosen tool.  We all have our different abilities. Sometimes those abilities need refining but they are still abilities that God can use to accomplish His will through YOU.

Who are you? Who are we? If we are in Christ we all have the responsibility to bring God's people "out of Egypt." Egypt in the scriptures is also used as an image for being in a state of sin.

Who are you? Finally, like Moses you are an individual.  Moses was human just like you and me. Second to Christ, Moses is one of the most supreme examples of how ONE person can make a difference in the lives of hundreds, if not thousands and has the ability to bring God's people "out of Egypt."

Who are you? My encouragement to you is this, find some area of ministry in your congregation that you may not be comfortable being involved in and get involved in that ministry.  Maybe it's as simple as leading songs. Maybe it's volunteering to lead a prayer, or say some words before the Lord's Supper.  Maybe it's preaching a sermon. Or maybe it's even evangelism in your community.  The point is we all have a responsibility to bring people "out of Egypt." The examples I just gave are a handful of ways we can do that.

So as you go about your day and your week, find a ministry with your congregation that you can get involved in or better yet you can even start a new ministry and see how you can make a difference for the Lord. Also realize that whatever you do in His kingdom, as He was with Moses, the Lord is with you. So as you go through this morning and this week, reflect on the question I asked, WHO ARE YOU?

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!  

Monday, May 16, 2011

A suffering example...

**Image from Passion of the Christ movie**

"For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps."--1 Peter 2:22.  Christ, we know He suffered for our sins.  But after looking at this passage, I realize that many of us myself included may have reached a point where we have been Christians for so long that maybe just maybe we are taking this fundamental fact of what Christ did for us for granted.  I look at 1 Peter 2:22-25 and am reminded that without what Christ did for all of us, our souls would have no chance of spending eternity in heaven with God.  1 Peter 2:25 calls Christ the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls. A point we will look at at another time. But Christ set an example for us in every way. Among other things, Christ left us a suffering example.

A suffering example.  Ever suffered just for being a Christian? I believe it is safe to assume that here in the United States none of us have suffered for being a Christian the way the apostles did for being followers of Christ.

A suffering example.  Even if we have not physically suffered for being a Christian, have you ever been made fun of or looked down upon simply for standing for what Christ would stand for? If your answer is yes, you know it is not a fun feeling.

A suffering example.  1 Peter 2:22 tells us that even Christ's suffering served as an example for us to follow. the Scriptures are clear that if we truly desire to follow Christ, suffering comes with the package.  If they persecuted Him, they will persecute us.

A suffering example.  For those of us who have suffered for being a Christian, we know it is not a fun feeling. But in reality suffering for being a Christian is not all that bad.

A suffering example.  The Scriptures do tell us we will suffer as a Christian. But the Scriptures also tell us that said suffering will be to our benefit.  2 Peter 4:16 says explicitly that if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.

A suffering example.  My encouragement to you is this.  Remember that if you have suffered for being a Christian, it is not you people are rejecting, it is God.

If you have suffered for being a Christian, remember the suffering is only momentary and passing but your reward is eternal.

Finally, if you have suffered for being a Christian, remember Christ suffered for us leaving us an example, a suffering example.

No practical suggestion here except to continue to be diligent in your faith and to not be afraid to stand for what you know Christ would stand for on a daily basis.

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS! AND MAY WE NEVER FORGET WHAT CHRIST, OUR SUFFERING EXAMPLE DID FOR US!!!

Drawn out...

"...And she named Him Moses, and said, "Because I drew him out of the water."--Exodus 2:12.  At this point in our redemptive journey back to God, this is another turning point in history.  Joseph has died, the twelve tribes of Israel (the descendants of Israel's twelve sons) are multiplying, and the current Pharaoh of Egypt was unaware of the influence Joseph had on Egypt and (Exodus 1:8) and this Pharaoh sees Israel as a threat and begins to slaughter the children to get rid of the supposed threat.  Pretty graphic image to think about.  But among, those that are slaughtered, there is one infant that is spared.  He is drawn out of the Nile River by Pharaoh's daughter and the boy is reunited with his mother (Exodus 2:9).  He is named Moses. Which means to draw out.

Drawn out.  Not terribly much need to recount the details of this account.  The birth and life of Moses is one that should be pretty familiar to us all.

Drawn out. In Hebrew culture, your name said a lot about who you were.  Moses' name would be no different.  Moses was not just Moses because he was drawn out of the Nile.  Moses' name to this day still resonates in our minds for a reason.

Drawn out. Moses, as we know would play a crucial role in bringing people back to God.  Everything God accomplished through Moses is ultimately pointing towards Christ.  This was ultimately why Moses was drawn out.

Drawn out.  So what does this mean to us? Well, while we will probably never experience what Moses experienced in this life, as Christians we are still like Moses in a lot of ways.

Drawn out. We are like Moses in that we have been drawn out from this world to bring people back to God through Christ.

Drawn out.  We are like Moses in that as carriers of the gospel message, we are spokesmen for God and must point people to Christ.  This is what much of the purpose of the law and the prophets, to point the way to the coming Messiah.

Drawn out.  We are also like Moses in that we may have started off with our ministry making mistakes and/or excuses.

Drawn out.  Over the next few days, we will begin looking at Moses and his relationship with the people of Israel. In the meantime, be reminded that like Moses we as Christians, we too have been drawn out for a purpose.

Drawn out.  Finally, if we want to take on this Great Commission, we must be drawn out of the water as well.  We must be drawn out of the water of baptism.  If you have not done this, I encourage you to take some time to look at the highlighted link and do not delay in your decision.

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!